Chapter 375 - Not Home

Chapter 375: Chapter 375 - Not Home

Angela shoved her phone toward Roxie across the couch. "She cancelled."

Roxie caught it before it hit the plate balanced on her lap and read Karen’s message.

I’m staying home. I’m exhausted.

"That’s it?" Angela asked.

Roxie handed the phone back and reached for another piece of chicken. "What else do you want? A formal apology?"

"She said she was coming."

"And now she wants to sleep."

Angela frowned at the message, clearly disappointed. She had been planning the dinner since lunch, although calling it dinner felt generous when half the food was spread across the coffee table and the movie was already waiting on the television. Her mother had cooked enough for all three of them and had already asked twice whether Karen was running late.

Roxie had come because Zac was working his last shift at the coffee shop. He had complained about having to finish the schedule when he already knew he was quitting, but his manager had asked him to stay for the evening instead of leaving them short staffed. Roxie figured spending a few hours with Angela and Karen sounded better than sitting alone at the bungalow waiting for him.

Apparently Karen had other plans.

"She was already irritated all day," Roxie said. "Maybe sleeping is safer for everybody."

Angela laughed. "She was kind of mean."

"Kind of?"

"She apologized later."

"That almost makes it worse."

Angela threw a napkin at her. Roxie caught it against her chest and tossed it back before taking Angela’s phone again and opening their group chat. She snapped a picture of the food and sent it to Karen.

Your loss.

Karen responded less than a minute later with a middle finger.

Roxie turned the screen toward Angela. "There. She’s alive."

Angela rolled her eyes but finally stopped worrying about it. They started the movie, argued over dessert and spent enough time talking over the dialogue that Roxie barely knew what was happening anyway.

By nine, Angela was stretched across one end of the couch under a blanket while Roxie took the other with her feet on the coffee table. Angela’s parents had already gone upstairs after reminding them to clean everything before Roxie left.

Roxie’s phone buzzed.

Finished. Dylan wants to train for a while. I’ll be home late.

She smiled before replying.

On your last day of work and you still choose suffering.

Zac answered almost immediately.

Need to make up for lost time. Don’t wait up if you’re tired.

Roxie took a picture of herself lounging on Angela’s couch and sent it.

Very busy anyway.

A heart appeared beneath it.

Angela glanced over from underneath her blanket. "Disgusting."

"You’re jealous."

"I actually am."

The answer came fast enough that Roxie laughed before noticing Angela’s expression change.

"Shit. Sorry."

Angela shrugged and leaned her shoulder against Roxie. "It’s okay. He’s a joke, so feel free to laugh."

Roxie smiled softly and rested against her for a moment before letting the subject die. Angela had already spent enough time talking about Caleb lately. Roxie wasn’t going to drag her into another conversation just because she had accidentally stepped on something sensitive.

A few minutes later her phone buzzed again.

She expected Zac.

Instead Mason’s name appeared.

Karen with you?

Roxie frowned and typed back.

No. She went home.

The typing bubble appeared, disappeared, then came back.

Are you sure?

Roxie sat straighter.

Angela paused the movie. "What?"

"Mason’s asking about Karen."

"Why?"

Roxie typed another message.

Yes. Why?

Mason called before she could put the phone down.

Roxie answered immediately. "What happened?"

"Where are you?"

"At Angela’s. Why?"

"Karen told you she was home?"

Roxie looked at Angela. "Yeah."

Mason went quiet long enough that Roxie’s irritation started rising.

"Mason, what?"

"I just saw her." ℯℯ𝘭.

Roxie stood from the couch. "Where?"

"At Logan Pierce’s."

Angela heard the name and immediately sat up.

Roxie knew Logan. Everybody at school knew Logan. He was a senior who spent enough time suspended that Roxie sometimes forgot he was technically still enrolled. His parents were rarely around, and his house had become one of those places people talked about after weekends because somebody always seemed to have a story.

Heavy drinking was normal there.

The other stuff was why Roxie had never gone.

There had even been a police raid once. A few people had been detained, and the rumors afterward involved enough drugs that Roxie had decided a long time ago she had zero interest in ever finding out which parts were true.

"Karen’s at Logan’s?" Angela asked.

Mason heard her through the phone. "Yeah."

Roxie pressed the phone harder against her ear. "How do you know?"

"I drove past. There were cars everywhere and I recognized some people outside, so I slowed down. Karen was on the porch."

"She told us she was sleeping."

"I know."

"How long ago?"

"Five minutes, maybe."

"Was she drunk?"

"I couldn’t tell from the road."

"Was she with anyone?"

"There were people around her."

"That isn’t what I asked."

"I don’t know, Roxie. I didn’t stop."

She heard a car door open on his end.

"What are you doing?"

"Going back."

"You left?"

"I thought maybe I saw somebody else. I drove around the block. I’m going back now."

Angela was already calling Karen.

Roxie watched her wait through several rings before the call ended unanswered. Angela tried again, but Karen ignored that one too.

Roxie pulled her own phone away from her ear and called Karen while Mason waited on the other line.

Still nothing.

Her irritation started changing into something heavier.

Karen went to parties. That wasn’t strange. She had gone to plenty with Roxie and Angela, and nobody would have cared if she had simply said she wanted to go somewhere else tonight.

The problem was that she had lied.

She had told them she was home sleeping.

Roxie called one more time.

Nothing.

Angela lowered her phone. "She always answers one of us."

"She might not hear it."

"At Logan Pierce’s?"

Roxie looked at her.

Angela’s voice dropped. "Rox, those parties aren’t like Mason’s."

"I know."

"She doesn’t even hang out with those seniors."

"Maybe somebody invited her."

"Then why lie?"

Roxie had no answer.

She put Mason back against her ear. "Find her."

"I’m pulling up now."

"Call me when you see her."

"I will."

"Mason, actually call me."

"I said I will."

The line ended.

Angela got off the couch and started pacing near the window. "I hate this."

Roxie watched her. "He’s finding her."

Angela rubbed her arms. "She’s an adult. If she wants to hang out with somebody else, that’s her business."

"Yeah, but..." Roxie paused. "Those parties are dangerous."

Angela nodded. The worry on her face was more obvious now. "You think she’s safe?"

"I don’t know."

That was the problem.

Roxie needed to see Karen herself.

She opened Zac’s messages without thinking. His last one was still there.

Need to make up for lost time. Don’t wait up if you’re tired.

Her thumb stayed near his name.

She knew exactly what would happen if she called.

Zac would leave Dylan. He would get in his car and drive straight to Angela’s before Roxie even finished explaining what was happening.

For a second, she almost pressed call.

Angela noticed. "Are you calling Zac?"

Roxie locked the screen. "Not yet."

"Why?"

"He worked all evening and went straight to training. Mason is already there looking for her."

"What if Mason can’t find her?"

"Then I’ll call Zac."

Angela still looked worried, but Roxie wasn’t ready to drag Zac away when they didn’t even know what was happening. Karen could be drunk at a stupid party and ignoring them because she knew exactly how they would react. That would be annoying and reckless, but it still wasn’t enough for Roxie to pull Zac out of training.

Not yet.

She glanced toward the stairs.

Angela’s parents were upstairs. Her father had gone to bed early and her mother had already checked on them twice before finally leaving them alone. The second they admitted Karen had lied about going home and was actually at Logan Pierce’s party, there was no chance Angela’s parents would let them leave without knowing every detail.

Roxie didn’t drive.

Neither did Angela.

"Kurt?" Roxie asked.

Angela shook her head. "Still at work."

Roxie stared at her phone, trying to think of somebody nearby who could get them there without immediately turning this into a family emergency.

Then Ethan came to mind.

She opened his contact before she could overthink it.

Angela glanced at the screen. "Ethan?"

"He drives."

"Is he still working?"

"Probably."

Roxie called.

Ethan answered after three rings. "Miss me already?"

"Are you still at the Grill?"

The teasing disappeared from his voice immediately. "Yeah. Why?"

"What time are you out?"

"Ten minutes. What happened?"

Roxie looked at Angela before answering. "We need a ride."

"To where?"

"Logan Pierce’s."

There was a pause.

"Isn’t that the one who got raided? Aren’t you a little old to suddenly develop terrible taste in parties?"

"I’m serious."

"I know. Why are you going there?"

"Karen’s there. She told us she was home sleeping, Mason saw her at the party and now she won’t answer either of us."

Ethan went quiet for a second.

"I’ll pick you up."

Some of the tightness in Roxie’s chest eased. "We’re at Angela’s."

"Send me the location."

She sent it while they were still on the call.

"Got it. Give me fifteen minutes."

"Okay."

"Roxie."

"What?"

"Stay there until I get there."

She frowned. "I wasn’t planning to walk."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah."

The call ended.

Angela sank back onto the couch. "He’s coming?"

"Fifteen minutes."

Roxie sat beside her and checked Karen’s messages again. There was still nothing. No missed call. No angry message telling them to stop bothering her.

Worse, Mason hadn’t called either.

She opened Zac’s chat again.

She could still tell him.

Instead she put the phone facedown on her knee.

Besides, Ethan was on his way.